Software · head to head
Argo CD vs HCP Terraform
A
Argo CD
Software
A declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
HCP Terraform
Software
Infrastructure as code provisioning and management, formerly Terraform Cloud
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Argo CD has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Argo CD licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (argoproj/argo-cd LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare; HCP Terraform billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Argo CD and HCP Terraform actually diverge.
| Attribute | Argo CD | HCP Terraform |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | open-source | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Argo CD
- Licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (argoproj/argo-cd LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- The quick start installation requires the --server-side and --force-conflicts flags due to CRD size limitations, per argo-cd.readthedocs.io, a constraint the documentation states explicitly
HCP Terraform
- Billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99
- Standard and Premium tiers bundle HCP Waypoint, which is unavailable on Essentials
- Enterprise tier for self-managed deployments is quote only through sales
Pricing, plan by plan
Argo CD
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Argo CD review.
HCP Terraform
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the HCP Terraform review.
Which should you pick?
Choose HCP Terraform if
Nothing in the data separates HCP Terraform from Argo CD on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Argo CD or HCP Terraform better?
- Neither clearly leads. Argo CD starts at Free and HCP Terraform at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Argo CD or HCP Terraform?
- Argo CD has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Argo CD and On request for HCP Terraform.
- Does Argo CD or HCP Terraform run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Argo CD for free?
- Yes. Argo CD has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HCP Terraform starts at On request.
Related pages
More on HCP Terraform
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